Implantable medical devices are frequently used to treat the anatomy of patients. Such devices can be permanently or semi-permanently implanted in the anatomy to provide treatment to the patient. Frequently, these devices, including stents, grafts, stent-grafts, filters, valves, occluders, markers, mapping devices, therapeutic agent delivery devices, prostheses, pumps, bandages, and other endoluminal and implantable devices, are inserted into the body at an insertion point and deployed to a treatment area using a catheter.
Typically, these implantable devices are attached to the catheter assembly and directed through the vasculature of the patient to the desired treatment area. Once the implantable device reaches the treatment area, the device is properly oriented and deployed to provide treatment. Such orientation and deployment is actuated by a physician using controls outside of the body of the patient. Accordingly, there is a need for medical devices with improved maneuverability and positioning within the vasculature of the patient.